1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tremolo device for a guitar, and more particularly, it relates to a device enabling a precise return to an original and normal tuning of strings of the guitar after the tremolo device has been used.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a guitar, for example, an electric guitar, equipped with a tremolo device which is moved linearly along the strings of the guitar to produce desired variations in musical tones obtained by, for example, plucking the strings, is well-known and widely used. Known conventional tremolo devices include a synchronized type of device fitted to guitars made by the Fender Company (U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,146), a "Bigsby" type of device fitted to guitars made by the Gibson Company, and a "Moseley" type of device fitted to guitars made by the Mosrite Company, and these tremolo devices have basically similar constructions.
Namely, in the construction of these devices springs are provided having a tension almost the same as the total tension of the strings of the guitar, and while an equilibrium is maintained between the tension of the springs and the total tension of the strings, the tones of the strings of the guitar are raised or lowered by moving a load member, i.e., a tremolo arm, upward or downward, and thus rotating the whole tremolo device about one fulcrum on a guitar body to thereby vary the tension of the guitar strings.
In the conventional tremolo devices mentioned above, however, the following problems arise because the whole of the device is always in a "floating" condition around one fulcrum, while maintaining an equilibrium between the tension of the springs and the tension of the strings.
In an ideal tremolo device, after the force applied to a tremolo arm is released, the tones raised or lowered by the device are returned precisely to the original and normal tuning in which the equilibrium between the tension of springs and the total tension of strings is maintained. In practice, however, since the whole device is in the floating condition as mentioned above, deviations in the tones may occur which cannot be compensated by the restoring force derived from the tensions of the springs or strings, and thus the guitar will be out of tune in the normal condition i.e., when the tremolo device is inactivated.
Further, when the guitarist holds the guitar body, especially near the tremolo device, to play the guitar in the normal mode, or to dampen the vibration of the strings to thereby mute the sounds of the guitar, if the guitarist should inadvertently touch the conventional tremolo device, the device may rotate about the fulcrum because of the floating construction thereof, to thereby raise the tones of the guitar despite the guitarist's intentions.
Furthermore, if one or more strings are broken during playing, the equilibrium of the remaining strings will be lost, whereby all of the tones of the strings will be lowered, thus making further use of the guitar impossible.